why do we get pinched on st patrick day

Why Do We Get Pinched on St. Patty s Day for Not Wearing Green? by March 17, 2016 12:35 PM There are certain ideals to live by according to our parents as we grow up. They include always being respectful especially to your elders, always say yes or no ma am/sir, and wear green on St. Patrick s Day or you will be pinched. Okay so maybe that last one isn t quite and ideal to live by, but I have feared it ever since I was a little girl. If I went to school on St. Patrick s Day and wasn t wearing green, you can bet I was hiding in corners because I was not keen on being pinched all day. But the bigger issue is, why in the world do I get pinched for not wearing green on St. Patty s Day? Here is what I have found According to a story done by a reporter for, talking to the owner of the Irish Culutural Museum in Nola has proven quite useful.

The owners name is is this is what he had to say about the old and odd tradition. The respectful thing to do on St. Patrick s Day is wear green to honor Ireland. If you don t, it is seen as shame and therefore you get pinched. The pinching phenomenon actually started in the 1700s because of the belief in leprechauns and that they cannot be seen. As you may know, these little green men are said to be pesky and always up to no good. So, if you do not wear your green, a leprechaun is sure to pinch you. Yea, I m still not convinced. Pinching hurts!

I received my fair share of red marks growing up for making the mistake of not wearing my green on the Irish holiday. But whether or not I think it may be crazy, I will always wear some kind of green for St. Patrick s Day. We hope to see you in your green tonight for Patty in the Parc 2016! -В For many people around the world it meansВ felt leprechaun costumes, slanderous stereotypes and Guinness shirt stains. However, March 17 only recently became synonymous with parades, painfully pun cocktails and green rivers. To get the skinny on this annual Irish celebration в here are four key questions we all want to know the answer to. 1) Who was St Patrick? Little is known about St Patrick but according to folklore в He was probably born in Wales around 387AD before being kidnapped by Irish pirates aged 14.

As the legend dictates, St Patrick became an enslaved pig and sheep herder. Accordingly he was returned to Wales by kind sailors aged 20. It was then he allegedly received a divine vision from God calling on him to become the вVoice of в. On returning to Ireland as a free man, he evangelised converting thousands of pagans to Christianity and establishing churches. Other legends surround St Patrick include banishing all snakes from the island вthis is in fact an allegory of his struggles against the Druids. He is traditionally thought to have died on March 17 в explaining the choice of date. 2) Why do we pinch people on March 17?

Pinching people on St Patrickвs day is thought to revolve around the leprechaun and the legend that wearing green makes one invisible to the mischievous fairies. As the dubious legend dictates, leprechauns would pinch anyone not wearing green в so people pinch those not wearing green to remind themв 3) What is the importance of shamrocks? This tradition goes back to St Patrick himself. The Patron saint is purported to have used the three leafed shamrock as an illustration of the Holy Trinity. 4) Why do people wear green? century, reports Time. В century New York among the growing Irish immigrant population.